System and method for autonomous navigation in a ride vehicle

ABSTRACT

There is provided an autonomous navigation system for use in conjunction with a ride vehicle. The autonomous navigation system includes an on-board sensor system for generating on-board sensor data of a surrounding of the ride vehicle. According to this embodiment, the autonomous navigation system further includes a receiver module for receiving off-board sensor data of the surrounding of the ride vehicle. For example, the off-board sensor data can be generated from an off-board sensor system, which includes a plurality of off-board sensors. The autonomous navigation system includes a sensor data fusion module for performing a data fusion process on the on-board sensor data and the off-board sensor data to generate fused sensor data. The autonomous navigation system further includes a navigation module for determining a course of the ride vehicle based on the fused sensor data.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/900,275, filed Feb. 7, 2007, whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to vehicle autonomy. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to autonomous vehicles usingsensor fusion technology to provide safer rides.

2. Background Art

Amusement and theme park operators continuously strive to provide theirpatrons with more unique, adventurous and safer rides. Today, ridevehicles that operate through theme parks follow the same path for eachride, and their operation is pre-programmed, which make the ridevehicles less attractive to the patrons. For example, some theme parkvehicles run on track rails. In other examples theme park vehicles maybe controlled by overhead wires. In all such situations, the paths ofthe ride vehicles within the park are pre-defined and cannot be altered.Moreover, such pre-defined paths of the ride vehicles can limit thetypes of environments or areas in which the ride vehicles can be used.For example, ride vehicles operating on tracks will undoubtedly requireareas suitable for track installation, where such areas may not beavailable in the theme park. In other cases, the implementation of apredefined path through various areas in the theme park may not bepractical due to heavy pedestrian traffic, for example.

An attractive alternative to such ride vehicles having pre-defined pathsinvolves ride vehicles that are able to autonomously navigate throughthe theme park. However, autonomous navigation has not been extended toride vehicles in theme parks mainly for the reason that sensing andcontrol for the ride vehicles are performed at a single point, which isthe ride vehicle itself. In other words, today's ride vehicles are notable to navigate autonomously in the theme park, due in large part tosafety concerns for the riders and other pedestrians. For example, aride vehicle can be equipped with various sensors that are configured todetect the surrounding environment of the ride vehicle as it travels. Assuch, safe autonomous navigation of the ride vehicle would essentiallybe dependent on the proper functionality of the sensors, since the ridevehicle would be completely dependent on the sensors for the detectionof obstacles and more importantly, detection of other pedestrians thatmight be in the ride vehicle's path. Consequently, a minor failure atthe ride vehicle could cause a disastrous event, which can be extremelycostly for theme park operators.

Therefore, there is a strong need in the art for autonomous ridevehicles in theme parks, which can provide unique experiences for theriders from one ride to the next, while providing safety for the ridersand other patrons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is provided systems and methods for autonomous navigation in aride vehicle, substantially as shown in and/or described in connectionwith at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in theclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewingthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an autonomous navigation systemfor use in a ride vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an autonomous navigation systemfor use in a ride vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a surrounding environment of a ridevehicle, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for use by a ride vehiclefor enabling autonomous navigation, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the invention is described with respect to specificembodiments, the principles of the invention, as defined by the claimsappended herein, can obviously be applied beyond the specificallydescribed embodiments of the invention described herein. Moreover, inthe description of the present invention, certain details have been leftout in order to not obscure the inventive aspects of the invention. Thedetails left out are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skillin the art.

The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detaileddescription are directed to merely example embodiments of the invention.To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention which use theprinciples of the present invention are not specifically described inthe present application and are not specifically illustrated by thepresent drawings. It should be borne in mind that, unless notedotherwise, like or corresponding elements among the figures may beindicated by like or corresponding reference numerals.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of autonomous navigation system 100for use in a ride vehicle, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 1, autonomous navigation system 100includes off-board sensor system 130, on-board sensor system 104, sensordata receiver module 112, sensor data fusion module 116, navigationmodule 120, and ride vehicle control module 124. In the embodiment ofthe invention shown in FIG. 1, on-board sensor system 104, sensor datareceiver module 112, sensor data fusion module 116, navigation module120, and ride vehicle control module 124 are situated in ride vehicle102. For example, ride vehicle 102 can be a motor vehicle capable ofholding one or more passengers as part of an amusement or theme parkride or as part of a tour ride through a theme park.

As shown in FIG. 1, on-board sensor system 104 includes on-board sensorcontroller 110 and on-board sensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c. As alsoshown in FIG. 1, on-board sensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c are coupled toon-board sensor controller 110 via data paths 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c,respectively. For example, data paths 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c can eachbe a wireless communication link established using radio frequencysignals or can each be a physical connection, such as a physicalcommunication bus. In other embodiments, on-board sensor system 104 caninclude additional on-board sensors coupled to on-board sensorcontroller 110. Thus, in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG.1, on-board sensors 106 a and 106 b represent the first and secondon-board sensors in on-board sensor system 104, respectively, whileon-board sensor 106 c represents the nth on-board sensor. On-boardsensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c can each be, for example, a camera, alaser range finder sensor, or a sound range finder sensor.

As also shown in FIG. 1, on-board sensor system 104 is included in ridevehicle 102. The on-board sensors of the invention, such as on-boardsensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c, can be situated at various locations onride vehicle 102 to enable detection of the surrounding environment ofride vehicle 102. For example, if on-board sensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106c are laser range finding sensors, they can be situated on the externalsurfaces of ride vehicle 102 and can be oriented in various directionsto accurately detect the surrounding environment of ride vehicle 102.Thus, on-board sensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c can be used to generateon-board sensor data containing information about the surroundingenvironment of ride vehicle 102. For example, the on-board sensor datacan contain information, which can be used to accurately map out thesurrounding environment of the ride vehicle in real time and moreimportantly, detect particular objects, which may obstruct the path ofride vehicle 102. As shown in FIG. 1, the on-board sensor data can becommunicated from on-board sensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c to on-boardsensor controller 110 via respective data paths 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c.

As shown in FIG. 1, off-board sensor system 130 includes off-boardsensor controller 136 and off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c.Off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c are coupled to off-boardsensor controller 136 via respective data paths 134 a, 134 b, and 134 c.In other embodiments, off-board sensor system 130 can include additionaloff-board sensors coupled to off-board sensor controller 136. Thus, inthe embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, off-board sensors 132 aand 132 b represent the first and second off-board sensors in off-boardsensor system 130, respectively, while off-board sensor 132 c representsthe nth off-board sensor. Off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c caneach be, for example, a camera, a laser range finder sensor, or a soundrange finder sensor.

Off-board sensor system 130 is situated apart from ride vehicle 102 andis in communication with ride vehicle 102 via datapath 128. For example,datapath 128 can be a wireless communication link established usingradio frequency signals. The off-board sensors of the invention, such asoff-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c, can be situated at locations,which enable detection of the surrounding environment of ride vehicle102. For example, off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c can becameras situated above areas over which ride vehicle 102 might pass.Accordingly, off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c can be used togenerate off-board sensor data containing information about thesurrounding environment of ride vehicle 102. For example, the off-boardsensor data can contain information, which can be used to accurately mapout the surrounding environment of the ride vehicle in real time andmore importantly, detect particular objects that may obstruct the pathof ride vehicle 102. As shown in FIG. 1, the off-board sensor data canbe communicated from off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c tooff-board sensor controller 136 via respective data paths 134 a, 134 b,and 134 c.

Sensor data receiver module 112 in ride vehicle 102 can be configured toreceive off-board sensor data from off-board sensor controller 136 inoff-board sensor system 130 via data path 128 discussed above. As alsoshown in FIG. 1, sensor data receiver module 112 can also be configuredto receive on-board sensor data from on-board sensor controller 110 inon-board sensor system 104 via data path 126. Data path 126 can be, forexample, a physical connection such as a bus. For example, sensor datareceiver module 112 can include an RF transceiver and one or moresuitable memory devices for storing sensor data.

Sensor data fusion module 116 shown in FIG. 1 can be configured toreceive the off-board sensor data and the on-board sensor data receivedin sensor data receiver module 112 via data path 114. Sensor data fusionmodule 116 can be further configured to perform a data fusion process onthe off-board and on-board sensor data. The data fusion process canutilize various sensor fusion algorithms that are known in the art, suchas a Kalman filter, to generate fused sensor data. Thus, the fusedsensor data generated by sensor data fusion module 116 can be much morerobust than either the off-board sensor data or the on-board sensor datataken alone.

As shown in FIG. 1, navigation module 120 can be configured to receivethe fused sensor data from sensor data fusion module 116 to determine acourse of ride vehicle 102 based on the fused sensor data. Navigationmodule 120, for example, can be configured to use the fused sensor datato generate a real-time map of the surrounding environment of ridevehicle 102 by implementing algorithms and mapping techniques that areknown in the art. Moreover, one or more destinations of ride vehicle 102can be programmed into navigation module 120, such that navigationmodule 120 is allowed to determine various courses, i.e., routes, to theone or more destinations. It is important to note that as ride vehicle102 travels to a destination, navigation module 120 can be configured toconstantly receive fused sensor data to detect obstacles that might befound in the surrounding environment of ride vehicle 102 and to adjustthe course of ride vehicle 102 when necessary to avoid such obstacles,thereby ensuring the safety of the passengers in ride vehicle 102 as ittravels.

As also shown in FIG. 1, ride vehicle control module 124 in ride vehicle102 is in communication with navigation module 120 via data path 122.Ride vehicle control module 124 can be configured to receive controlinstructions from navigation module 120, which can be used by ridevehicle control module 124 to properly steer ride vehicle 102. Ridevehicle control module 124 can be further configured to adjust the speedof ride vehicle 102 and to enable ride vehicle 102 to travel in reverse,as required by the control instructions received from navigation module120.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of autonomous navigation system 200for use in a ride vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 2, autonomous navigation system 200includes off-board sensor system 230, on-board sensor system 204, sensordata receiver module 212, sensor data fusion module 216, navigationmodule 220, and ride vehicle control module 224. In the embodiment ofthe invention shown in FIG. 2, on-board sensor system 204 and ridevehicle control module are situated in ride vehicle 202. As shown inFIG. 2, off-board sensor system includes off-board sensors 232 a, 232 b,and 232 c coupled to off-board sensor controller 236 via respective datapaths 234 a, 234 b, and 234 c. As also shown in FIG. 2, on-board sensorsystem 204 includes on-board sensors 206 a, 206 b, and 206 c coupled toon-board sensor controller 210 via respective data paths 208 a, 208 b,and 208 c. In particular, ride vehicle 202, off-board sensors 232 a, 232b, and 232 c, off-board sensor controller 236, sensor data receivermodule 212, sensor data fusion module 216, navigation module 220, ridevehicle control module 224, on-board sensors 206 a, 206 b, and 206 c,and on-board sensor controller 210 in FIG. 2 correspond to ride vehicle102, off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 c, off-board sensorcontroller 136, sensor data receiver module 112, sensor data fusionmodule 116, navigation module 120, ride vehicle control module 124,on-board sensors 106 a, 106 b, and 106 c, and on-board sensor controller110 in FIG. 1, respectively.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, off-board sensorsystem 230, sensor data receiver module 212, sensor data fusion module216, and navigation module 220 are situated apart from ride vehicle 202.As shown in FIG. 2, on-board sensor system 204 is in communication withsensor data receiver module 212 via data path 226. For example, datapath226 can be a wireless communication link established using radiofrequency signals. As also shown in FIG. 2, sensor data receiver module212 is in communication with off-board sensor system 230 via data path228. For example, datapath 228 can be a physical connection, such as abus. As further shown in FIG. 2, sensor data receiver module 212 is incommunication with sensor data fusion module 216 via data path 214,which is in further communication with navigation module 220 via datapath 218. Navigation module 220 is in communication with ride vehiclecontrol module 224 via data path 222. For example, data path 222 can bea wireless communication link established using radio frequency signals.

In system 200, on-board sensor system 204 can be configured to transmiton-board sensor data from on-board sensor controller 210 to sensor datareceiver module 212 via data path 226. Sensor data receiver module 212can also be configured to receive off-board sensor data from off-boardsensor controller 236 in off-board sensor system 230 via data path 228.Sensor data fusion module 216 shown in FIG. 2 can be configured toreceive the off-board sensor data and the on-board sensor data via datapath 214 and can be further configured to perform a data fusion processon the off-board and on-board sensor data to generate fused sensor dataas discussed above. Navigation module 220 can be configured to receivethe fused sensor data from sensor data fusion module 216 via data path218 and can be configured to determine a course of ride vehicle 202based on the fused sensor data as described above.

Navigation module 220 can be configured to transmit control instructionsto ride vehicle control module 224 via data path 222, which can be usedby ride vehicle control module 224 to properly steer ride vehicle 202.Ride vehicle control module 224 can be further configured to adjust thespeed of ride vehicle 202 and to enable ride vehicle 202 to travel inreverse, as required by the control instructions received fromnavigation module 220.

FIG. 3 illustrates surrounding 300, which represents an examplesurrounding environment of ride vehicle 302. As shown in FIG. 3,surrounding 300 can include static objects, such as lake 338 and thevarious trees shown in FIG. 3, and dynamic objects, such as pedestrians350 and 352. In particular, ride vehicle 302 in FIG. 3 corresponds toride vehicle 102 in FIG. 1. As discussed above, ride vehicle 302 caninclude on-board sensor system 104, sensor data receiver module 112,sensor data fusion module 116, navigation module 120, and ride vehiclecontrol module 124 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, cameras 332 a,332 b, and 332 c can be situated at various locations in surrounding 300to properly detect surrounding 300, i.e., the abovementioned static anddynamic objects included in surrounding 300. Cameras 332 a, 332 b, and332 c in FIG. 3 correspond to off-board sensors 132 a, 132 b, and 132 cshown in FIG. 1.

As ride vehicle 302 navigates along path 340, for example, sensor datareceiver module 112 (not shown in FIG. 3) in ride vehicle 302 cancontinuously receive off-board sensor data of surrounding 300 fromcameras 332 a, 332 b, and 332 c via wireless communication link 328established with off-board sensor controller 336. In addition, sensordata receiver module 112 in ride vehicle 302 can also continuouslyreceive on-board sensor data of surrounding 300 from on-board sensorsystem 104 as discussed above. As such, the autonomous navigation systemof the present invention can immediately detect any changes insurrounding 300 to appropriately adjust the course of ride vehicle 302.

For example, as the autonomous navigation system of the presentinvention navigates ride vehicle 302 along path 340, any changes inlocation of pedestrians 350 and 352 can be immediately detected by theon-board and off-board sensor systems. Thus, if pedestrians move intothe path of ride vehicle 302, the navigation system of the presentinvention can adjust the course of ride vehicle 302 by navigating ridevehicle 302 along course 342 or 344, thereby safely navigating ridevehicle around pedestrians 350 and 352. Moreover, if an alternativecourse is not available or possible, the navigation system of thepresent invention can immediately stop ride vehicle 302 to prevent acollision.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for use by a ride vehiclefor enabling autonomous navigation in accordance with one embodiment ofthe invention. With reference to the embodiment of the invention shownin FIG. 1 and as shown in FIG. 4, at step 402 of flowchart 400,off-board sensor data is obtained from off-board sensors 134 a, 134 b,and 134 c and transmitted to sensor data receiver module 112. At step404, on-board sensor data is obtained from on-board sensors 106 a, 106b, and 106 c and provided to sensor data receiver module 112. At step406, the off-board and on-board sensor data are received by ride vehicle102 in sensor data receiver module 112.

Thereafter, at step 408, the off-board and on-board sensor data areprovided to sensor data fusion module 116 in ride vehicle 102. At step410, a sensor fusion process is performed on the off-board and on-boardsensor data by sensor data fusion module 116 to generate fused sensordata. At step 412 of flowchart 400, a course of ride vehicle 102 isdetermined by navigation module 120 based on the fused sensor data andride vehicle control instructions are generated. At step 414, the ridevehicle control instructions are provided to ride vehicle control module124. Thereafter, at step 416, ride vehicle 102 is navigated along thecourse determined by navigation module 120.

Therefore, the invention enables autonomous navigation of a ride vehicleby implementing multiple independent sensor systems, i.e., on-boardsensor system 104 and off-board sensor system 130, to detect asurrounding environment of the ride vehicle. Accordingly, the presentinvention advantageously utilizes highly robust fused sensor data toautonomously navigate the ride vehicle safely through a theme park. Moreimportantly, since the present invention uses sensor data from multipleindependent sensor systems, no single point of failure exists indetecting the surrounding environment of the ride vehicle, therebysubstantially increasing the safety of passengers in the ride vehicle aswell as the safety of pedestrians in the theme park. Thus, by enablingautonomous navigation of a ride vehicle through a theme park, thepresent invention can provide passengers of the ride vehicle with adifferent and unique experience with each ride. Moreover, since thepresent invention allows a ride vehicle to navigate safely through atheme park without requiring any tracks or rails, the present inventionincreases flexibility of ride vehicle operation environments in themeparks.

From the above description of the invention it is manifest that varioustechniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the presentinvention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while theinvention has been described with specific reference to certainembodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize thatchanges can be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand the scope of the invention. For example, it is contemplated that thecircuitry disclosed herein can be implemented in software, or viceversa. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that theinvention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein,but is capable of many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutionswithout departing from the scope of the invention.

1. An autonomous navigation system for use in conjunction with a ridevehicle, said system comprising: an on-board sensor system forgenerating on-board sensor data of a surrounding of said ride vehicle,wherein said on-board sensor system is situated in said ride vehicle; asensor data receiver module for receiving off-board sensor data of saidsurrounding from an off-board sensor system, wherein said off-boardsensor system is situated apart from said ride vehicle; a sensor datafusion module for performing a data fusion process on said on-boardsensor data and said off-board sensor data to generate fused sensordata; a navigation module for determining a course of said ride vehiclebased on said fused sensor data.
 2. The autonomous navigation system ofclaim 1 wherein said off-board sensor system comprises a plurality ofoff-board sensors and wherein said on-board sensor system comprises aplurality of on-board sensors.
 3. The autonomous navigation system ofclaim 2 wherein each of said plurality of off-board sensors and each ofsaid plurality of on-board sensors include at least one of a camera, alaser range-finder sensor, and a sound range-finder sensor.
 4. Theautonomous navigation system of claim 1 wherein said sensor datareceiver module, said sensor data fusion module, and said navigationmodule are situated in said ride vehicle.
 5. The autonomous navigationsystem of claim 4 further comprising a ride vehicle control module forcontrolling a speed and a direction of said ride vehicle based oncontrol instructions received from said navigation module.
 6. Theautonomous navigation system of claim 1 wherein said sensor datareceiver module, said sensor data fusion module, and said navigationmodule arc situated apart from said ride vehicle, and wherein saidon-board sensor system transmits said on-board sensor data to saidsensor data receiver module.
 7. The autonomous navigation system ofclaim 6 further comprising a ride vehicle control module for controllinga speed and a direction of said ride vehicle based on controlinstructions received from said navigation module.
 8. An autonomousnavigation system for use in conjunction with a ride vehicle, saidsystem comprising: an off-board sensor system for generating off-boardsensor data of a surrounding of said ride vehicle, wherein saidoff-board sensor system is situated apart from said ride vehicle; asensor data receiver module for receiving said off-board sensor data; anon-board sensor system for generating on-board sensor data of saidsurrounding, wherein said on-board sensor system is situated in saidride vehicle; a sensor data fusion module for performing a data fusionprocess on said off-board sensor data and said on-board sensor data togenerate fused sensor data; a navigation module for determining a courseof said ride vehicle based on said fused sensor data.
 9. The autonomousnavigation system of claim 8 wherein said off-board sensor systemcomprises a plurality of off-board sensors coupled to an off-boardsensor controller and wherein said on-board sensor system comprises aplurality of on-board sensors coupled to an on-board sensor controller.10. The autonomous navigation system of claim 9 wherein each of saidplurality of off-board sensors and each of said plurality of on-boardsensors include at least one of a camera, a laser range-finder sensor,and a sound range-finder sensor.
 11. The autonomous navigation system ofclaim 9 wherein said plurality of off-board sensors are situated oversaid ride vehicle.
 12. The autonomous navigation system of claim 8wherein said sensor data receiver module, said sensor data fusionmodule, and said navigation module are situated in said ride vehicle.13. The autonomous navigation system of claim 8 wherein said sensor datareceiver module, said sensor data fusion module, and said navigationmodule are situated apart from said ride vehicle.
 14. The autonomousnavigation system of claim 8 further comprising a ride vehicle controlmodule for controlling a speed and a direction of said ride vehiclebased on instructions received from said navigation module.
 15. A methodfor use by a ride vehicle for enabling autonomous navigation, saidmethod comprising: receiving off-board sensor data in a sensor datareceiver module, wherein said off-board sensor data is generated from anoff-board sensor system situated apart from said ride vehicle; providingon-board sensor data to said sensor data receiver module, wherein saidon-board sensor data is generated from an on-board sensor systemsituated in said ride vehicle; fusing said off-board sensor data andsaid on-board sensor data to generate fused sensor data; and navigatingsaid ride vehicle based on said fused sensor data.
 16. The method ofclaim 15 wherein said off-board sensor system comprises a plurality ofoff-board sensors and wherein said on-board sensor system comprises aplurality of on-board sensors.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein eachof said plurality of off-board sensors and each of said plurality ofon-board sensors include at least one of a camera, a laser range-findersensor, and a sound range-finder sensor.
 18. The method of claim 15wherein said sensor data receiver module is situated in said ridevehicle.
 19. The method of claim 15 wherein said navigating furthercomprises determining a course of said ride vehicle based on said fusedsensor data.
 20. The method of claim 15 wherein said navigating furthercomprises controlling a speed and a direction of said ride vehicle.